Network Neutrality

We write not to add to the onslaught of commentary on the merits of the rules--which are not yet public--but rather to address the legitimacy of the FCC's decision-making process. To cut to the chase: there's no evidence of a process foul in this case.

Some think we shouldn't do everything possible to protect the Open Internet from the predatory schemes of big ISPs. I disagree. I think we should protect Black independent digital voices, by any means necessary.

Accessibility, and specifically high-speed Internet accessibility, changes lives. Which is why it is so important to continue to offer accessibility options to those who would otherwise be left behind.

The Federal Communications Commission insists that its priority as a regulatory agency is to ensure the rights of the largest telecommunications companies to profit where profit can be made. The FCC isn't proposing Network Neutrality, it's legalizing discrimination.

The surest way to stop progress towards real broadband competition is if the FCC's work grinds to a halt in a miasma of political and legal opposition. That's quite possible if it reverses a decade of precedent and reclassifies broadband. And that would be just the beginning of the process.

Louis C.K.'s "fun little experiment" illustrates the threat to the cable business model. Cable has long been the gatekeeper to content -- Comcast decides what channels I can choose from. But right now on the Internet, I choose what content I can choose from.

Smart communities invest in themselves rather than depending on big, absentee corporations. Requiring Comcast to provide affordable broadband connections is better than not, but continuing to let Comcast effectively decide who can afford access to the Internet is madness.

If the ethos of America is about removing unfair barriers to individual opportunity and success, then it is un-American to give low-income communities substandard Internet service that creates barriers to economic opportunity.

The FCC's long December will either restore confidence in the Commission's ability to tackle difficult issues like Net Neutrality or leave us in a similar position where many feel the FCC has disclaimed responsibility.

This morning, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski announced that he will finally seek a vote on President Obama's top tech issue, "Net Neutrality." However, his proposal is nowhere close to what Obama promised the American people.